music
10 Artists Who Changed Their Names Mid-Career
“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare wrote. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet was imagining a simpler life after rechristening her Romeo, but the principle would also apply if that rose were already trademarked, or the flower had a racist past, or that particular perfume reminded you of a life you’re ready to leave behind. Artists change their names for lots of reasons, but it is almost always a result of pressure — whether that be internal or external. If there’s one thing these moments of transformation have in common, it’s that they represent a pivot point for the musician — a dividing line, after which they will never be exactly the same. In that spirit of renewal, we’ve assembled a list of 10 artists who decided that another name would smell much sw...
Air Announce 20th Anniversary Reissue of 10 000 Hz Legend
French electronic icons Air have announced a 20th anniversary reissue of their seminal 2001 album 10 000 Hz Legend. The new edition will debut as an Apple exclusive on October 29th, before becoming available digitally and in physical editions on November 5th. Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel’s second studio album as Air introduced them to American audiences, buoyed by singles such as “Radio Number 1,” “Don’t Be Light,” and “How Does It Make You Feel?” The new reissue of 10 000 Hz Legend comes with an enhanced Dolby Atmos “3D” mix from the record’s original sound engineer, Bruce Keen, as well as several rarities: “The Way You Look Tonight,” which appeared on the Japanese edition of the LP and the Everybody Hertz EP; live versions of songs recorded in 2001 for K...
Jeff Tweedy Announces New Album, Covers Neil Young’s “The Old Country Waltz”: Stream
Jeff Tweedy has announced a deluxe edition of his 2020 album Love Is the King, featuring a new collection of live versions of its songs titled Live Is the King. Due out December 10th via dBpm Records, it comes with a new cover of Neil Young’s “The Old Country Waltz,” which is out today. Live is the King sees the Wilco frontman accompanied by a band consisting of his sons Sammy and Spencer Tweedy, as well as Liam Kazar, James Elkington, and Ohmme’s Sima Cunningham. The live versions were recorded at Wilco’s Chicago studio the Loft, as well as the Chicago venues Constellation and The Hideout. You can pre-order Love Is the King/Live Is the King now. Watch Jeff Tweedy and the aforementioned band’s performance of Neil Young’s “The Old Country Waltz” below, followed by the deluxe editi...
Vended (Sons of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Clown) Announce Debut EP, Unleash “Burn My Misery”: Stream
Vended, the band featuring the sons of Slipknot members Corey Taylor and Shawn “Clown” Crahan, have announced their debut EP, titled What Is It/Kill It. The band also shared the new song “Burn My Misery” ahead of the EP’s November 12th release. It’s the second single we’ve heard from the Iowa metal act. Touting a serious pedigree with Corey Taylor’s son Griffin on vocals and Clown’s son Simon on drums, it’s no surprise that Vended bring a crushing extreme-metal sound, as heard on “Burn My Misery.” Like previous single “Asylum,” the band incorporate elements of prog and melodic metal into the five-minute track. There’s certainly some Slipknot influence, but Vended’s punk tendencies are more pronounced, with spitfire vocals from Griffin and lightning fast tempos. Advertisement Related V...
Metal Musician Andrea Meyer Among Five People Killed by Bow-and-Arrow Attack in Norway
Andrea Meyer — a German metal musician, actress, and screenwriter — was one of five people killed in a bow-and-arrow attack in Norway on October 13th. According to the Associated Press, the horrific incident happened at a supermarket in Kongsberg, Norway. Police apprehended the suspect, 37-year-old Espen Andersen Braathen, and authorities believe the attack to be “an act of terrorism.” Meyer recorded pagan music under the names Nebelhexë, Hagalaz’ Runedance, and Andrea Nebel. She also contributed guest vocals to Cradle of Filth’s 1994 debut, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, and a spoken-word part to Satyricon’s 1996 album, Nemesis Divina. Advertisement Related Video The 52-year-old multimedia artist leaves behind a daughter, Alva, whom she shared with ex-husband Tomas “Samoth” Haugen, lon...
Young Thug Sues Apartment Building for Giving 200 Unreleased Songs to Stranger
Not so much fun: Young Thug has filed a lawsuit against a luxury apartment building in Atlanta, claiming the concierge service handed out a bag of his personal belongings — including a hard drive containing over 200 unreleased songs — to a stranger. According to legal documents viewed by AllHipHop, the mixup happened at a complex called The Trace in midtown Atlanta. Thugger reportedly left a leather Louis Vuitton bag in the parking garage next to his black Lamborghini on November 1st, 2020. Another resident spotted the orphaned luggage and turned it into the concierge desk. The employee who received the bag then contacted Young Thug and left instructions that no one should give away the bag without approval. Soon afterwards, a different employee handed the bag to an unknown person, an...
The Rolling Stones Paid Tribute to Charlie Watts and Dusted Off an Old Favorite in Los Angeles: Review
“This is our 49th show in Los Angeles,” Mick Jagger was shouting. In a flash, the 70,000-capacity SoFi stadium quickly responded with a harmonious yell, building a call and response that even after 60 years, The Rolling Stones have stayed as the undeniable spearheads of rock ‘n’ roll — even if just for the night. Straight from the American leg of their rescheduled “No Filter Tour,” Sunday (October 17th) marked night two of the sold-out ring of Southern California shows, and it was anything but filtered. For roughly 120 minutes, the Stones secured their crowns as the “kings of rock.” Guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood plumped the evening with hard-hitting riffs, typical Jagger catwalks, and soul-infused backup vocals bringing a tight punch to classics like “Gimme Shelter” and “You Ca...
Eric Nam Announces 2022 World Tour Dates
As Eric Nam readies his next album There and Back Again, he’s wasting no time plotting out a tour. Today, the Korean-American singer-songwriter has unveiled the schedule for his massive 2022 world trek in support of the record. Nam will kick off the 46-date run in Phoenix this coming January before hitting major cities across North America. Then, he’ll head across the pond for a handful of gigs in Europe before closing out the tour in April with a series of UK dates. “I am so incredibly stoked to get back on the road and to do what I love the most, which is to perform on stage and to meet with my fans,” Nam said in a statement. “For the first time, I’ll be joined by a live band, reunited with my incredible dancers/crew, and playing a brand new album. I can’t wait to see you all and put on ...
Corey Taylor, Billy Idol, Perry Farrell and More to Perform Classic Sex Pistols and Lou Reed Albums for Charity
Guitarists Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction) and Billy Morrison (Billy Idol’s band) have announced their latest “Above Ground” charity event. The star-studded benefit show will take place December 20th at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, and feature full performances of Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols and Lou Reed’s Transformer. Joining Navarro and Morrison on the bill are Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction) and his wife Etty Lau Farrell, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol band), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), and Franky Perez (Deadland Ritual, Apocalyptica), with more artists to be announced shortly. The concert will benefit MusiCares, with a focus on raising awareness on mental health. “We are so grateful...
David Ellefson Gives First Post-Megadeth Interview: “I’m Perfectly Content”
David Ellefson has given his first interview since being ousted from Megadeth earlier this year. Ellefson was fired from the thrash band after an embarrassing sexually compromising online encounter with a young woman went public, but seemed unfazed in the new interview. The bassist is currently promoting his new band, The Lucid, and opened up about his career after Megadeth. “It’s fun to create for creation’s sake and not because it has to be motivated from anything else,” Ellefson told Aftershocks TV (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “So I guess I’m kind of glad to just be right where I’m at. To be honest, I’m perfectly content and happy where I am right now. I’m not gonna lie — it’s perfectly fine. So I’m all good.” Advertisement Related Video Ellefson doesn’t get into specifics regardin...
M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming Turns 10: An Enduring Era of Indie
I’ve heard M83’s “Outro,” the final track of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, in more TV commercials than I can count. Never mind the widespread usage in TV shows, films, and trailers: I’m talking strictly 30-60 second advertisements, the commercials you’d like to mute, tune out, or fast forward through. The usage of the song in media was arguably the most widespread around 2014, but even today, ten years after its release, music supervisors still gravitate towards “Outro” because of its humongous, cathartic climax, a waterfall of synths cascading into a vast cosmos of sound. Upon listening to Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming for the first time ten years ago, I doubt many people heard “Outro” and thought to themselves, “This is the sound of leasing a new Mazda.” Nevertheless, the song and album truly end...
Guided by Voices Announce New Album It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them!
It’s a day that ends in ‘y,’ which means we’re due for a new Guided by Voices album. The prolific rockers’ 34th (!) studio set is called It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them!, and it arrives this Friday, October 22nd. This is the second album of the year from Robert Pollard and co., following April’s Earth Man Blues. The 15-track effort was written by Pollard with production from Travis Harrison. It includes the singles “My (Limited) Engagement,” “High in the Rain,” and “Dance of Gurus,” and you can check out all three tracks along with the album artwork and tracklist below. Pre-orders are ongoing. Earlier this year, Pollard formed the new group Cub Scout Bowling Pins, which released its debut EP Heaven Beats Iowa in January. In 2020, GBV unveiled three m...
